This won't be of interest to all SOWNY members, but anyone who ever worked in a TV newsroom, shot anything for broadcast or has watched a sporting event in the last decade has seen it: The Steadicam. 

The device allows a single cameraperson to catch a shot of what's happening directly ahead of them, without the usual shaking or jiggling that would come if a human tried to do it alone. It gives a greater picture of action on the field than anyone with a shoulder-mounted camera could ever hope to deliver. And it's changed TV news and sports forever. 

So who came up with this idea? His name is Garrett Brown, and he's about to have his own device turn the spotlight on him, as a production company readies a documentary on the inventor.

Not that he had any idea what he was creating when he was first challenged to come up with the concept.

"He wasn’t trying to invent a new way to make a camera; he was trying to be a folk singer. He heard that someone needed a [special] camera for this one shoot and thought, ‘Let me see if I can do it.’

The challenge in telling Brown’s story is that his inventions have become so foundational to the modern viewing experience that it can be difficult to remember what television looked like without them."

The Steadicam and the Skycam are now regular facets of television and movie production and they've made covering everything - including TV news - so much easier.

But he didn't stop there, developing the next entry into the field. something that's now the norm on every NFL game - the Skycam.

"Skycam suspended one in the air. MobyCam moved alongside swimmers underwater. DiveCam dropped with Olympic divers. FlyCam tracked action across linear events. The inventions changed where cameras could physically exist and, as a result, how close an audience could feel to the action."

One man's need to film a single music video changed the medium forever. As for when you can see his story on film, it's too soon to say. Most of the pre-production for "Thank You, Mr. Brown," (not a great title IMHO) is done. They just have to assemble it all into a coherent story.

I have no idea if it will be a good documentary. But I'm betting the camerawork will be great. 

Thank You Mr. Brown: Documentary on Steadicam, Skycam Inventor Garrett Brown Is in the Works